Preparatory planning framework for Created Out of Mind: Shaping perceptions of dementia through art and science

Abstract

Created Out of Mind is an interdisciplinary project, comprised of individuals from arts, social sciences, music, biomedical sciences, humanities and operational disciplines. Collaboratively we are working to shape perceptions of dementias through the arts and sciences, from a position within the Wellcome Collection. The Collection is a public building, above objects and archives, with a porous relationship between research, museum artefacts, and the public. This pre-planning framework will act as an introduction to Created Out of Mind. The framework explains the rationale and aims of the project, outlines our focus for the project, and explores a number of challenges we have encountered by virtue of working in this way.

Inspired by chance: valuing patients’ informal contributions to research

“…Posthumously, his comments and descriptions, and the lasting effect he had on clinicians and researchers, inspired the Created Out of Mind residency (2016-18) at The Hub, Wellcome Collection, which aimed to explore, challenge, and shape perceptions and understanding of dementias through science and the creative arts. 17…”

Supporting identity and relationships amongst people with dementia through the use of technology: a qualitative interview study

“…For instance, as Beard et al (2009) note, one dominant story that has been portrayed about people with dementia is that their talk is meaningless, their recollections are of little importance, and their memories are defective. However, the importance of challenging these perceptions and advocating positive attitudes towards dementia, in both social and scientific contexts, is becoming increasingly recognized (Swaffer, 2014;Zeilig, 2014;Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project, 2014;Brotherhood et al, 2017). Discourse on dementia is shifting away from a reductionist biomedical perspective, that portrays the disease primarily in terms of loss, towards a more holistic perspective that considers the person with dementia not as a "sufferer" but as an individual who can be supported to cope and potentially live well with the condition (Beard et al, 2009;Kitwood, 1997;Swaffer, 2014).…”

Conceptualising and Understanding Artistic Creativity in the Dementias: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research and Practise

“…The terms “creativity” and “dementias” are not two words that often find themselves linked. When asked about what word comes to mind when thinking about the dementias it is rare if not unheard of for creativity to be identified ( Brotherhood et al, 2017 ; van Leeuwen et al, 2017a ). Part of this disconnect is the result of years of creativity research that has focused on eminent creators in science and industry, university undergraduate psychology students as part of a course requirement, artists of various sorts, and gifted “geniuses” with very little research exploring creativity and people with mental or physical health problems, the exception being the apparently “mad” artist (e.g., Csikszentmihalyi, 1997a ; Chad et al, 2007 ; King Humphry, 2010 ; Bellas et al, 2018 ).…”

“…To better understand psychological and physiological responses to creative arts activities by those with a dementia, wearable technology has been used to continuously measure psychophysiological changes during and across activities ( Bourne et al, 2017 ). Empatica E4 wristbands (Empatica, Cambridge, MA, United States), watch-sized devices, were employed to measure the following ( Brotherhood et al, 2017 ):…”